Buddhist psychology to deal with difficult emotions

Emotionally difficult and painful situations are part of the cycle of life. On the other hand, this type of situation, or They usually escape our control or are a direct consequence of our decisions or actions. For this reason, we usually tend to withdraw into ourselves without knowing what to do or how to react. This is one of the cases in which Buddhist psychology can help us.

To face any disagreement, it is often the support of the people around us that keeps us afloat or helps us continue moving forward. But, what about when we don’t want or have friends or family around? It is time for you to learn more about the benefits that Buddhist psychology can bring you.

Arose to end human suffering

Buddhism is usually considered one of the main religions of the Eastern world. 2,500 years ago, this current was born as a philosophical and psychological system, without any type of religious pretension. In fact, according to the ascetic Siddharta Gautama, known as Buddha, Buddhism is the science of the mind.

Buddha founded this school with the purpose of making known a method that would eradicate suffering, ours. To do this, it is based on a series of postulates and a very useful thought structure to understand and accept your emotions.

4 noble truths of Buddhist psychology

Buddhist psychology is based on an idea that, although it may seem pessimistic, is hopeful: The nature of human life is suffering. From there, he espouses four noble truths. These contain most of the teachings of Buddhist psychology and are the basis on which this type of meditation is based:

Suffering exists.Suffering has a cause.Suffering can end by extinguishing its cause.To do this, we must follow the noble eightfold path.

Eradicate our suffering or “dukkha”

To be able to face these difficult situations and eradicate the pain, Buddha proposes that we need to know its origin. And only when we have established that cause can we be free from our suffering. Only then will we be able to see the futility of our worries and discouragements.

According to Buddhist psychology, People carry out numerous habits that have made us ignorant of life. We do not know what the processes and stages of life are and that is what causes us suffering.

The practical postulates

The last of the four truths speaks of the Noble Eightfold Path. A path or path composed of 8 branches or practical postulates that allow achieving harmony, balance and the development of total consciousness. It is usually represented with the wheel of dharma, where each of the spokes symbolizes an element of the path. These branches can be grouped, in turn, into three broad categories:

Wisdom: correct understanding and thinkingEthical conduct: correct word, action and occupationMind training: effort, conscious attention and concentration, meditation or absorption.

These 8 postulates should not be interpreted as a series of linear steps. But must be developed simultaneouslydepending on the capabilities of each one.

The misunderstood happiness

We all want to be happy, but no one agrees on how to define happiness. Each person has a different idea of ​​what it is: promotion at work, material abundance, having children… This current ensures that even when we achieve all those goals that we set for ourselves, we do not feel fulfilled.

When one of our desires is fulfilled we move on to another and then to another. And so little by little we are sinking into a circle that does not seem to end. All this with the false hope of being happy.

Need to free ourselves from attachment

Buddhist psychology believes that The desires established in our mind lead us to psychological drift and lead to attachment. (to people, to material goods, to beliefs…). This is precisely one of the causes of greatest suffering, because by becoming attached, we identify with objects or people and lose our identity. We forget about ourselves and true human needs.

Buddhism gives us tools to work on attachment and seek knowledge. Only from it can we understand what more we require (personal development, harmonious emotional life…) and move in the school of life with greater awareness.

How to stop suffering?

Through meditation. As we have seen, Buddhist reflective practices aim to increase understanding and wisdom and eradicate suffering. Although the techniques vary depending on each school and tradition, they all have the common goal of achieving a state of maximum attention and tranquility.

These are the main currents of Buddhism that can help you stop suffering in those especially emotionally difficult moments:

Theravada: defines himself as an analyst. That is why he longs to describe the different psychological or meditative states to systematize the meditative experience.Zen: focuses on the spontaneity and intuition of wisdom. His practice seeks natural harmony in the individual and avoids dualism in the understanding of reality.Tibetan: seeks to increase the understanding of reality at deep levels. Therefore, it focuses on the symbolic and unconscious mechanisms of the mind. It is the most symbolic and magical of all Buddhist traditions.From the Pure Land: highlights devotion, humility and gratitude as direct paths to spiritual fulfillment. It is a type of devotional meditation where mantras are the protagonists.

Definitely, Buddhism is about relating to your emotions openly. That you make them aware, designate them and accept them. They are part of your existence but, like everything, they are changing, so there is no need to control them.

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